Prolific playwright Tony Laumberg’s new play ‘Lawyers in Love’ recently played a successful five week season at Darlinghurst’s Tap Gallery.

‘Lawyers in Love’ is Mr Laumberg’s fifth play in successive years. Each of his plays, except for the play about his late father, ‘The Lucky One’, has had a legal theme with rich comic overtones. In the daytime hours Mr Laumberg works as a solicitor in private practice.

In ‘Lawyers in Love’ Felicity and Jeremy are two young lovers who are hopelessly in love and hoping to make a life with each other. Things go astray when Jeremy meets Felicity’s father for the first time- just as his nutcase brother Stanley drops in unexpectedly through the window with his psychiatrist in tow.

‘Lawyers in Love’ has been described as ‘It’s Meet the Fockers meets Rain Man with a dash of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’. Certainly, a colourful description, and the play provided good entertainment value.

Richard Cotter again directed in a fast paced, richly comic style. Will Snow had the ‘straight’ role as the smitten lawyer Jeremy, with Natalie Rose as his smitten lover, Felicity. Mark McCann played Jeremy’s father, Phillip, a gruff, cantankerous real estate agent who became increasingly put out by Jeremy’s antics.

Mr Laumberg’s plays usually have an important character who are an embarrassment or annoyance to the other characters, and which the other characters are only too keen to send off stage! This goes as far back as Mr Laumberg’s first play where a difficult, elderly father gatecrashes an important business dinner, and creates havoc.

In ‘Lawyers in Love’, the role is Jeremy’s crazed brother, Stanley. Jared Houseman takes on the role, and makes it his own, giving it a high energy, madcap, Jerry Lewis style turn.

Tricia Youlden does well as Stanley’s overworked psychiatrist, Dr De Nascimento, who is forever trying to put Stanley ‘back in his box’.

Prominent stage designer Tony Youlden designed a compact, effective set for the intimate Tap Gallery stage.